TELEGRAM 026.023 from the Romanian Embassy in Budapest to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

TELEGRAM 026.023

To: the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (to comrade Vasile Sandru)

From: the Romanian Embassy in Budapest

Subject: Korean-Japanese relations

Date: September 23^rd, 1978

Classification: Secret

According to the DPRK Ambassador Kim Jae-suk there have been no special developments in Japanese-North Korean relations as of late. These relations continue to develop on the basis of direct ties established between various institutions of the two countries, in the following sectors: economic, culture, and mass organizations. In spite all these ties, the Korean Ambassador added, greater flexibility can be noticed in the attitude of the Japanese government vis-à-vis granting Korean residents in Japan the right to visit their relatives in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

With respect to the prospects of establishing diplomatic relations, the Korean Ambassador said that the Japanese continues its well-known policy of conditioning the establishment of diplomatic relations with the DPRK on similar steps being undertaken by socialist states in the direction of establishing relations with South Korea. This position actually reflects the wish to maintain Korea divided [intelligible sentence].

Japan, at the same time, seeks, with [foreign] encouragement in this respect, that if US troops gradually pull out of South Korea, to replace these troops in South Korea. There are some signals in this respect, such as, for example, the participation of Japanese troops, the so-called defense troops, in the joint US-South Korean-Japanese military drills.

The preoccupation of [the North Korean] leadership for the peaceful reunification of Korea is constant, the North Korean Ambassador added. In the speech delivered by comrade Kim Il Sung on the occasion of the 30^th anniversary since the creation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, new proposals were presented, which in essence, ask for the withdrawal of US troops, the cessation of any form of support for Park Chung Hee, which would allow democratic forces [inside South Korea] to take action in the direction of achieving the national desideratum, i.e. the unification of the country. The [fulfillment] of such conditions open the possibility for negotiating not only with Japan, but also with the United States.

Signed

Victor Bolojan